14-year-old in critical condition, teen in custody after gunfire erupts outside Seattle middle school

A 14-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries and a 17-year-old was in police custody after the two exchanged gunfire Thursday evening outside Aki Kurose Middle School in South Seattle, according to police.

Seattle police spokeswoman Valerie Carson said the younger boy was sitting on the steps in front of the school about 6:30 p.m. when he was approached by the older boy. It appears they both had firearms, she said.

The 14-year-old was struck multiple times and was lying in the street when officers arrived, she said.

Officers arriving at the scene took the older youth into custody. Carson said officers were looking for additional suspects or witnesses, and that detectives from the Gun Violence Reduction team were on the scene searching for one of the weapons.

Susan Gregg, a spokesperson for Harborview Medical, said the victim was in critical condition Thursday night.